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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. club — a group
  14. stock — goods
  15. capital — money
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. swing — music
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com